The Bemidji Parks and Recreation department is currently conducting an open survey to get the public’s opinion on what the city’s parks excel in and what could be improved.

Available on the City of Bemidji website, the survey offers people the chance to leave comments, suggestions, and concerns about the parks in Bemidji. The main goal is this survey is to update the Bemidji Parks and Trails Strategic System Plan and enhance aspects of these areas to bring a better experience to the Bemidji community.

The survey will look at what amenities certain parks will need, as past surveys and results have shown to be lucrative on improving locations like Diamond Point Park and Paul Bunyan Parks.

“We’re waiting for your input as a community, so this first survey and interactive map kind of just lays the foundation of what people want and kind of tells us what we’re doing well and what we need to improve upon, what you value,” says Marcia Larson, Bemidji Parks and Recreation Director. “And then we’ll move on to focus groups with the community members and kind of narrow that focus down and start prioritizing after that. So it’s really hard at this point to say how many parks will be touched and improved upon until we kind of know what the community wants and where the priorities are.”

Popular ideas already on the map include adding connecting trails for biking or skiing, and specific areas for outdoor activities like baseball or a frisbee golf course.

The survey will be available until April 4 and will include a giveaway to people who leave comments and include their emails, which will be kept private, on the interactive map and survey. Both can be found by visiting the City of Bemidji website.

By — Mary Balstad